This invention relates to powered, lightweight, individualized personal transport methods and apparatus, and more particularly, to powered roller skates.
Power has been applied to the wheels of roller skates in many different ways. Often, the motor is worn on the user's back and connected to the roller skate's wheels through a flexible drive. Alternatively, the motor is mounted to the roller skate and directly connected to the roller skate's wheels. Where the motor is an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank is required, and the fuel tank is either worn by the user or mounted to the roller skate.
Generally, speed control is provided by a hand- or foot-controlled mechanical device, for instance, hip handles or a tiltable foot support. The hand controlled devices may be electrically connected to the motor for direct control or may include a wireless transmitter for remote control. Hand controls can be awkward, unnatural, and possibly dangerous when sudden changes occur. A user can initiate braking or motor-starting through a tiltable foot support by depressing or tilting the forward or rear portions of the foot support platform. The roller skate's foot support has also included devices to assist in steering, for example, a pivoted sole piece. These foot-controlled devices often require significant foot motion and sometimes impact the trailing less-weighted and less-effective foot. As a result, the foot-controlled devices can be difficult to operate.